The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-10-14
The Tamna ENDEMIC.

The situation at Tampa is not very
New cases do not occur rapidly and the per
centage of deaths among those attacked is
exceedingly small, showing that the disease
is of very mild type.
If the fever continues for any consider
able length of time there may be some suf-
fering among the people. 1t seems that
about all Of those who had the
means to leave the city departed
on the first announcement of the
presence of the disease. Business is
therefore, at standstill, and many people
who depend upon their daily labor for
bread may soon be in want of the necessa-
ries of life.
DIR. Wall the leading physician, and the
one who first asserted that the disease was
yellow fever, is of the opinion that although
the germs of it were brought into the city,
they were not imported by the
Plant steamers, or any other vessels
arriving at Tampa. He also believes that
if the old part of the city had been in as
good condition as the new there would not
have been an epidemic If this belief is
well founded it is apparent that the necessi-
ty, in this section of the South at least, for
keeping the towns in good sanitary con-
dition is en- important one. A few hundred
dollars spent in keeping Tampa clean would
have saved perhaps a number of valuable
lives and prevented loss of many thou
sands of dollars which the city is certain to
sustain from the cessation of business.
1t is remarkable that in so few towns
which are liable to epidemics is there sufi
cient Importance attached to cleanliness
The health authorities, while pretending to
do everything that is necessary to be done
to protect their respective towns against dis
eases of an infectious or contagious charac-
ter, actually do very little 1t is not until
danger is at hand that their neglect of duty
becomes apparent When it Is too late
they set to work with feverish haste to get
rid of the disease breeding filth and to
purify the places which provide the condi-
tions which are necessary to propagate the
disease germs
Early last summer Tampa was warned
that she occupied an exposed place, and
that if the yellow fever found entrance into
the towns of the mainland of Florida it
would be through her doors. The fact that
she was in constant communication
with Havana and Key West, at both of
which places the fever existed, was regarded
as a reason why she should take extraordi-
nary precautions for her protection. 1t was
announced time and time again by Tampa
that she would see to it that the fever should
not invade Florida through any fault of hers.
How well she has kept her pledge is shown
by the statement OF DR.. Wall.
The fact is that Florida ought to have a
State Board of Health clothed with au-
thority to take such precautions against the
introduction of diseases into any of her
ports as the experience of the wisest physi-
clans and best sanitarians show to be neces-
sary The board should have an ample
fund placed at its disposal by the State As
the whole State is deeply interested in pre-
serving the public health the
means to enforce health regulations
should come from the State Treasury.
As long as dependence is placed alone upon
the health authorities of towns and coun-
ties frequent alarms and occasional epidem-
les may be expected. In the present condi-
ton of affairs two or three years of immu-
nifty from yellow fever is pretty certain to
be followed IN most of the towns by a very
general disregard of rules for the preserva-
ton of the public health. To insure COM
parative safety from yellow fever it is
necessary that there shall be no relaxation
of means that are considered necessary to
secure immunity from it.